arlington, texas. gofftown, new hampshire tuesday. >> we sheltered in place in the school which means students stayed within their classrooms. >> reporter: quick tests derldz the powder was not zane -- determined the powder was not dangerous. not dangerous but as in the other schools, disruptive. the f.b.i. has the lead in the investigation better prepared now than when d.c. was first hit in 2001. >> i think it's probably a night and day difference. the f.b.i. has the benefit of having mounted the learning curve not only of the anthrax letter attacks in 2001 but the thousands of hoax letters that have come both before and after the anthrax attacks. >> reporter: gary nurenberg, 9news now. >> f.b.i. is investigating four incidents here in the d.c. area just since monday. seven people including four anne arundel county firefighters were taken to the hospital after an accident in glen bernie. it happened around 7:30 last night near route 648. the firefighters were responding to an apartment fire

when their truck collided with a car. four were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. three people in the car were hurt as well. two are at baltimore shock trauma with serious but nonlife- threatening injuries. d.c. police are now searching for whoever beat a 20- month-old baby boy to death. investigators say someone drove the toddler from a home on 30th street in southeast to united medical center. it was so serious, he was transferred to children's hospital where eventually he was pronounced dead. the medical examiner says blunt impact trauma killed the toddler. if you know anything, please call d.c. police. a rockville man is in jail accused of trying to hire a hit man to kill his wife. police say dan natural mendoso -- daniel mendoso spoke to someone he thought was a hit man. the hit man was an undercover montgomery county police officer. he is being held without bond.

his next court date is in april. vincent gray is responding to an exclusive 9news now report earlier this week. 9news now reported gray's campaign staff hid cash contributions by purchasing large numbers of money orders from the same safeway store. the report also stated the staff sent forged names on the money orders to make them seem like separate legal donations. prosecutors have identified 200 to 300 money orders with forged signatures which were bought with illegal cash payments to the gray campaign. >> reporter: do you know anything about it? >> i do not. >> reporter: when you hear about it, what does that say about what was going on? >> it goes back to the question whether rules were broken or not. of course i would never condone anybody breaking the rules. the rules should have been followed, period. >> as you heard mayor gray again deny any knowledge of wrongdoing, he says he is cooperating with the federal investigation. before women get an abortion in virginia, they will have to have an ultrasound.

governor bob mcdonnell signed the controversial bill into law yesterday. an earlier version of that bill called for an invasive internal ultrasound which then led to a national outcry and protests outside the state capitol in richmond. state lawmakers removed that portion of the bill. now the law requires an external abdominal ultrasound instead. the law will take effect in july. a former u.s. soldier from maryland is accused of trying to down a terrorist -- join a terrorist organization in somali. he's accused of attempting to provide material support. he served from 2007 to 2011. senator john mccain wants the president to use air strikes to -- strikes to stop syria. >> the pentagon has started to

evaluate what it would take for the u.s. military to intervene. alexis christoforous has the latest in the year long uprising against syrian president assad's regime. >> reporter: a serious crackdown on antigovernment rebels is about to enter its second year with an estimated 7500 syrians dead and no end in sight, the u.s. military is considering its options from arming the rebels to the use of force. >> we all wish which was a clear way forward. >> reporter: defense secretary leon panetta and general martin dempsey appeared before the senate arms service committee. >> the only realistic way to do so is with foreign air power. >> reporter: but that reality would be complicated. syria's defenses are unlike anything the u.s. has seen in

other interventions, including libya. >> they have approximately five times more sophisticated air defense systems than existed in libya covering one-fifth of the terrain. >> reporter: the united nations humanitarian chief visited syria amid stories of atrocities and refusals to allow humanitarian aid. panetta says the one thing the u.s. won't do right now is attack syria on its own. >> we need to know whether we can achieve that mission, at what price and whether or not it will make matters better or worse. >> reporter: complicating matters panetta says is syria is being armed by iran. alexis christoforous, cbs news, new york. >> syria is also more ethnically diverse than libya. general dempsey says there are about 100 groups in the anti- government opposition. a video highlighting the war atrocities in uganda is among the highest trending topics on twitter.

a california group posted the film. its goal is to raise worldwide awareness about the resistance army and its leader, the number one wanted criminal in the world. he was indicted by an international criminal court for crimes against humanity, including kidnapping, rape, and murder. one of the largest storms in five years happened last night and most of us didn't even notice. this is a picture from nasa of a solar flare. it's part of a solar storm which began tuesday night and lasted through much of wednesday night. forecasters at the atmospheric administration say the storm created a cloud of charge particles headed state for earth. it has the ability to disrupt some power grids, gps and airplane flights or it could just create colorful auroras in the sky. let's hope for the latter. >> those pictures are so beautiful, they don't even look

real. 4:36 now. coming up at 4:41, some air bag concerns put more than a half million toyotas on a recall list. at 4:50, kids may threaten to hold their breath if they don't get their way. find out what it means for parents if they carry through on that threat. your weather first in to minutes. you do not need the jacket today. we'll be right back.

4:39 on this thursday morning. it's going to be a warm, windy day. by noon 65. look at the winds turning to the southwest 20, 21 miles an hour. those are sustained speeds. we'll have gusts 30, maybe 35. highs in the low 70s. even at 6:00 p.m. clouds moving in 67 with some

showers tonight. the full weekend forecast coming up in about five minutes. right now over to monika with time saver traffic. traffic is moving well at the 95-495 interchange in springfield but at gallows road watch out for overnight construction blocking the three left lanes. more on virginia roadways at 4:57. it is time for the first your money segment of the morning. >> good morning to jessica doyle. she has the headlines. >> good morning to both of you. we're seeing green arrows. stocks had a lift on some encouraging news about the job market and an overnight trading we saw the nikkei up 2% and european markets are higher by a half%. the dow stands at 12,837. the nasdaq added 25 and the s&p 500 rose by 9. americans borrowed more money in january. the federal reserve says the nation's consumer borrowing rate rose by nearly $18 billion

after similar gains in december and november. this jump driven by 21 billion taken out for things like buying cars and student loans. that was the biggest jump there since november 2001. many economists believe this is a sign that consumers are feeling more confident about the economy. toyota is recalling 500,000 tacoma trucks model years 2005 to 2009. a steering wheel mechanism might rub against the cable assembly and that would make the air bag inoperable. toyota also recalling about 70,000 camrys model year 2009 and 116,000 venzas suvs model years 2009 to 2011. some brake lamps were incorrectly installed. >> toyota started to make a comeback after all the issues before and here we go again. thanks, jessica. there is a new report on smoking and its impact on children coming out later today. >> we'll have more on that story and your weather first when we return in two minutes.

good morning. welcome back to 9news now. it's 4:44. another gorgeous day on tap today. you won't need the heavy coat. >> i left my jacket at home. >> even just going to the car this morning. no ear muffs today. i know it's going to get chilly around here for the weekend, especially friday night into saturday morning but it's early march. we'll take today like yesterday when we hit 67. today probably a few degrees above that into the low 70s. here's a look atuous bus stop forecast this morning. it's cold but it's not bad. it's a little breezy. winds are going to pick up today and at times could gust

over 30 miles an hour. but most temperatures this morning are going to be in the 50s. sunrise at 6:29. this is the weekend, though. daylight saving time comes back sunday. so that sunrise will move back to the 7:00 hour next week. this morning we're looking at 56 by #k. as we -- by 8:00. as we head toward the noon hour, temperatures will jump into the middle 60s. winds could be sustained year 20 miles an hour. a windy day today. upper 60s, low 70s at 4:00 p.m. the high today about 71 in d.c. some areas south and west of town 73, maybe 75. that would not be out of the question. by 8:00 i think we're going to have some showers here in the metro. earlier than that, maybe 4:00, 5:00, cumberland to hagerstown, martinsburg and winchester could see by late this afternoon, early in the evening. winchester 48. these are some of the cooler temperatures. it's 57 in annapolis. mid-50s down at the pax river naval air station. fredricksburg is 56. locally we have the lower 50s

in loudoun county and leesburg and lovettsville. fort bell vir, springfield 5 -- belvoir, springfield 55 degrees. columbia is 53. as we look outside on our michael & son weather camera, good visibility of the white house. you can see the cloud above the flag which is flapping in the breeze above the white house. we have winds right now south, southwest at 9 with a temperature in washington of 54. the dew points a couple of days ago were in the teens. now they're in the 40s, a sign of how much the atmosphere is moistening up ahead of the next cold front. you can clearly see what's happening, how the rains have really broken out. in oak oklahoma and kansas, nothing, nothing, boom. this is all lifting toward the northeast to chicago. there could be some flight delays if you're traveling up to these hubs in detroit, although chicago it's coming through now and indianapolis see something showers and rain as well. we're looking at high clouds

streaming across the region from time to time this morning into the afternoon. but the front by 5:00 you'll notice some showers, even trying to get down maybe toward frederick. the bulk of the rains will be in west virginia and especially tennessee and kentucky. overnight this front slides through with some showers here. so scattered showers generally after dark but should be over before sunrise. except for maybe extreme southern maryland, lower eastern shore. during the day on friday we'll have a brisk northwesterly wind, partly to even mostly sunny but a lot cooler. highs tomorrow in the mid-50s. potentially upper 50s. look at this. cold enough for snow showers up across parts of new york state and new england by saturday morning, friday night. saturday morning low 30s but on saturday we'll only be around 50. that will be one of the colder days that we see for a while. so breaking down the forecast for you, today 71. it will be windy. got the showers tonight. during the overnight period as

well. breezy tomorrow, 56. chillier on saturday about 50 degrees. as we head toward sunday, we start the warm-up. 62. time change weekend spring forward one hour. monday could be a shower monday night, 67. back in the 70s i think by tuesday and wednesday. it is 4:47. monika santami, how about construction? it's almost picked up. the inner loop of the beltway at gallows road and 66 coming in from nutley street as well. if you're just heading out the door, i think by the time you get there it should be cleared up. manassas to centreville into fairfax, you're going to be okay. all lanes are open right now on the inbound side of i-66. a live look outside if you're planning to head over into maryland, here's what it looks like east west highway on coles road to the north side of town. back to the maps. 95 northbound looking great if lorton, newington into springfield. all lanes are open. really no volumes to worry about right now. we'll take a live look on our

vdot camera 95 at and 395 at the 14th street bridge. we'll go into maryland at 4:55. a new report on smoking. it's expected to call for increased state funding to strength ten an hi-smoking -- anti-smoking programs. alzheimer's disees will cost an estimateed -- medicaid and medicare will pay for two- thirds of the cost. 5.4 million americans have the memory robbing disease. it's expected to climb to 16 million by 2050. a new twist in a landmark study about hormone replacement therapy in post-menopausal women. the now famous study found hormones could increase the risk of developing breast

cancer. since then most doctors tell women to avoid it or use it for the shortest time possible to deal with hot flashes and other symptoms. now researchers say women in the statement study who tookest general alone had a lower breast cancer risk for up to five years after taking the pills. estrogen alone is usually prescribed to women who have had a hysterectomy. the new findings mean estrogen replacement deserves another look. parents really learn and i can put my hand up here, learn to expect the unexpected when raising a toddler but it can be hard to prepare for something called shock of breath holdings, though. >> that's when a young child stops breathing and actually passes out. all those these episodes pass quickly, a parent's fear can linger for years. >> reporter: that 7-year-old alexander settling in for a chapter of harry potter. but even now his mom remembers every terrifying detail of the time he went limp in his dad's arms.

>> i immediately went and called 911 because my husband said he's not breathing. >> reporter: alexander was a year and a half old and had just taken a fall. he let out a huge cry. then went silent and passed out. as his parents called for an ambulance, alexander was already starting to revive. >> the doctor said oh, i know. i know exactly what this is. it's a breath holding spell. >> reporter: about 5% of children will have at least one breath holding spell most often between the ages of 1 and 3. there are two kinds a pal lad spell usually starts with an injury. the heart rate slows and the child usually passes out. >> they often start crying very hard and all of a sudden they're silent. they stop breathing. they can turn purple or blue and may pass out. >> reporter: there's nothing to do to prevent breath holding but if it happens try to cushion the child's fall and make sure his or her tongue isn't blocking the airway.

alexander had a couple more episodes before he grew out of it. >> it happened maybe three or four times and i knew what to look for. >> reporter: 9news now. >> the breath holding episodes usually pass in less than a minute with no damage done. most kids don't need treatment for them but it is a good idea to notify your pediatrician if they keep happening. are you on twitter? apparently the u.s. food and drug administration is too using social networking to help spread the word about food recalls. the agency is going to start using twitter to issue state specific food safety alerts. so for maryland you would follow them on twitter here, md- ssis alert fees. charles county residents are being urged to come to the rescue of a food bank which has shut down. the southern maryland food bank closed temporarily due to a

severe shortage in food donations. the plan is to reopen monday, march 19 if they get enough food donations. time for the question of the morning at 4:53. >> our readers digest poll found most parents do this when their kids aren't home. is it a, sleep, b, play their kids' video games or c, household chores? >> that's not an easy one. log on to wusa9 facebook fan page and leave your response. we'll have the answer in the 6:00 hour. we'll be right back.

welcome back. 4:55. your weather fir. we are looking at temperature

-- first. we are looking at temperatures in the 50s. we're also going to be seeing a nice warm-up as we'll take a look at our weather graphics with temperatures which are climbing into the 60s by 11:00. 64 by 1:00. 67 this afternoon. winds will gust at times over 30 miles an hour with showers moving in tonight. monika, over to you. thanks, howard. we're going to take a look at the north side of town at randolph road as you come in from fairland on 29 into white oak on the beltway. all lanes are open. a closer look at maryland roads at 5:01. back to you. >> thank you, monika. the roads will be crowded when this event happens. registration for this year's marine corps marathon made history. the 30,000 available online entries sold out in two hours, 41 minutes making it the fastest sellout of any marathon ever. the previous record was eight hours for the 2011 boston marathon. the 2011 marine corps marathon filled up in just 28 hours. this year's marine corps

marathon will take place october 28. the course winds through the district and northern virginia. don't forget we're a little more than a week away from the sun trust rock 'n' roll u.s.a. marathon. the marathon and half marathon take place on saturday, march 17. the race starts at 8:00 a.m. and we'll have live coverage from 8:00 to 11:00 right here on wusa9. wake up with mike and me. they had one in new orleans last weekend. 22,000 people showed up. if you're one of the people who swore you wouldn't change after you had kids, you might relate to a new movie out this weekend. >> good luck with that. "friends with kids" about two 30 somethings trying to have it all, even with a baby in the mix. >> reporter: "friends with kids" is an adult comedy about trying to be a parent while clinging to the single life. >> we really want to have a kid. we just don't want to subject that kid to our tragic marriage. >> reporter: it reunited four of the cast members if

"bridesmaids." they're fighting over parenting and marriage. >> my character is not happy and she's frustrated and wanting something from her husband that she's not getting. >> apparently i can only play opposite kristin in hugely dysfunctional situations. >> reporter: the writers have been together for 14 years with no kids. >> none of the characters are based on anyone i know but the themes are, like sort of the trends that i've just seen around me in terms of the different ways people react and change. >> reporter: they definitely witnessed friends and family behaving badly. >> i'm sorry. >> i have been in those situations. super awkward. >> reporter: with actors? >> regular people. >> reporter: it's about trying to step all around the parent

trap without falling in. manuel gallegus, cbs news, new york. >> you don't change after you have kids, right? good morning and thank you for watching 9 news now at 5:00 a.m. i'm andrea roane. >> still stay up till 2:00 in the morning. i'm mike hydeck. how you doing? here's monika santami. we're sort of in purr tall today. >> we are. >> traffic -- purple today. >> we are. >> traffic momentarily. and howard bernstein. >> what are you wearing? >> that's really nice. windy today. warm as well. temperatures are going to get into the low 70s in most areas. could be a few spots that don't get that warm but we'll take the upper 60s. let's get you started because we have temperatures already in the 50s this morning. a couple of spots out toward western maryland and cumberland and out into oakland get down